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Firefighters managed to put out a large fire in Dubai’s main port from Wednesday night to Thursday. The fire was caused by an explosion related to the presence of combustible materials in a container. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The Gulf Emirates Communications Service announced on Thursday (July 8) that a container ship on the main port of Dubai has been brought under control and no casualties have been reported.
Speaking on television, the city’s press service general manager Mona al-Marri said the fire was caused by an explosion as part of a “normal accident” – which was accompanied by flammable materials in a container.
The Dubai Communications Service (Dubai Media Office, DMO) tweeted that “the fire caused by an explosion inside a container on a boat in the port of Jebel Ali has been brought under control and no casualties have been reported”.
The ship had 130 containers, three of which contained combustible materials, “Dubai police told local television channels, and the crew consisted of 14 people.
A video accompanying the tweet shows firefighters loading themselves into a large boat, with thick white smoke coming out.
Authorities involved were able to control the final stage of the fire in a container on a ship, preparing for a berth at the port of Jebel Ali, away from the port’s main shipping lane, without causing injuries or deaths. pic.twitter.com/SycrtY0PQA
– Dubai Media Office (XDXBMediaOffice) July 7, 2021
An Agency France-Presse reporter noted that a helicopter was sent to a place that was placed under very tight security and was inaccessible.
At least three people living near the site of the blast said the windows and doors of their homes were shaken by the incident.
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Jebel Ali port officials promised to “take all necessary measures so that the normal movement of ships in the port can continue without any hindrance,” the DMO said.
Such events are rare in the ultra-secure city-state, one of the seven presidents who make up the United Arab Emirates.
Jebel Ali is the headquarters of DP World, an Emirati company that is one of the world’s leading port operators managing 49 terminals around the world. The large port, located south of the Emirates, could accommodate aircraft carriers and was the most active call port for the U.S. Navy outside the United States in 2017, according to the United States Congressional Research Service.
About 8,000 companies are located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), which accounted for 23% of Dubai’s GDP last year. It is the largest trading area in the Middle East.
With AFP and Reuters
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